Power midfield gets muscle - and a better ride with Patrick Ryder

PORT Adelaide now has muscle in the midfield. And the arrival of big-bodied sensation Sam Powell-Pepper has eased the burden on fellow midfielder Ollie Wines to batter his solid body at contests.

PORT Adelaide now has muscle in the midfield. And the arrival of big-bodied teenage sensation Sam Powell-Pepper has eased the burden on fellow midfielder Ollie Wines to batter his solid body at contests.

Four years after Power coach Ken Hinkley put AFL rivals on notice that his players would not be out-run, the new theme to echo across the league is the brute strength in the new-look midfield.

Power defence coach Nathan Bassett is admiring the strength to put at lead ruckman Patrick Ryder’s feet at centre-square stoppages.

“(The return of Ryder from the year-long WADA ban) certainly helps, but having those bigger mids helps as well,” said Bassett, after the Port Adelaide midfield more than stood up against the proven Sydney unit at the SCG on Saturday.

“To have Brad Ebert in there more; to have Powell-Pepper in there as well, suddenly the lightest midfielder is 87 kilos. And the second-lightest midfielder is the ruckman.

“It is good to have some good size in there.”

The AFL guide - which is not always accurate as clubs seek to mislead rivals on potential match-ups - has Wines at 97kg, Powell-Pepper at 91 and Ebert at 89. Ryder is listed at 92kg.

Regardless of the numbers, the image of a stronger and more assertive Power midfield has been forcibly made during the upset 28-point win at the SCG against the 2014 and ‘16 grand finalists.

Powell-Pepper, 19, has quickly drawn focus for how he will not wait through a rookie apprenticeship to throw his weight on the field - just as Wines did when he made his impressive AFL debut and played every game in 2013.

The pairing of Wines and Powell-Pepper as two bulls in the Power engine room has added a much-needed new dimension to midfield coach Michael Voss’ strategies.

“He is a good, strong competitor,” said Bassett repeating the same reviews of Wines from his AFL debut season. “He adds a super-competitive edge with repeat contests - and he likes hitting bodies. We have a lot of good competitors in there who are big size - a couple of 90-plus kilo midfielders and Brad Ebert who is not far away (from 90kg).”

Ollie Wines of the Power handballs during the round one win against Sydney.

Powell-Pepper’s work has clearly delivered a benefit to Wines.

“I’ve been impressed with Wines past two games in particular (against Hawthorn and Sydney),” Bassett said. “He has adjusted his positioning around the stoppage, working a nice combination with Brad Ebert.”

The combination - and work - of the Wines, Powell-Pepper and Ebert battery has taken the attention from how Hinkley and Voss would balance the midfield rotations with All-Australians Chad Wingard and Robbie Gray.

That question now is recast by external doubts on Gray’s fitness after his limited pre-season and unusual count of just eight disposals - three kicks and five handpasses - against the Swans. Bassett insists Gray, who played just one pre-season game, is not carrying injury.

“He’s fine,” Bassett said. “Part of it was his role; he spent most of the game in the forward line. And it is a lot harder to touch the ball in the forward line than it is in the midfield.

“His attitude was excellent. The role didn’t help him get the ball quite so much and he was playing against some good defenders at Sydney, particularly Nick Smith.”

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